Vail Daily letter: Subject to whims

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On Jan. 27, the Rev. Van Ens reverently pontificated about the failings of Republicans as not being in sync with the tempo, beat or music of the people regarding government and God. He eulogized the religious far left and its standard bearers, the likes of Obama, Carter and the feminist, Maureen Dowd, with their collective concept of what law or government is all about.

I had to read Van Ens' column twice to differentiate my hallucinations from the rationale of his meaning. If I got it right, Van Ens, the religious left and the "people" (Democrats, liberals and collectivists) believe in the rule by tempo or wherever the collective mood of the people takes you at the time. He says that Republicans "have trashed their political metronome." By innuendo, I guess this means that the staid old Republicans and conservatives still believe in that archaic rule of law, and therefore are not part of the "people" to whom he pointedly refers.

At first I thought he was crazy in his analysis of government and law. But in retrospect, I see that there is method in his madness. He means that true liberals and Democrats believe in governance by popular agenda and mob rule. What the majority of voters determine the law to be, then that is and will become the law, ever changing, ever popular at the time, and indecipherable by the literate and law abiding citizen. If you are in sync with the mood and rhythm of a majority of the "people," then you are with it! This is the definition of an unfettered "democracy"!

Van Ens declares that Republicans are "off-tempo with a broken metronome," they "glorify the past."

I say that for once Van Ens is spot on, for conservatives or Republicans do have respect and appreciation for structure and the rule of law that are manifested in recognized rights and laws imbedded in the Constitution, the conforming statutes derived therefrom, and their profound appreciation for the ancient Judeo-Christian principles and laws set forth in the Bible itself. Only adherence to the past and time-tested law of the land can there be stability, prosperity and liberty in a society. This is the definition of a republic.

Contrasting this Republican philosophy with that of the Democrats' liberal one, you get the sense of the Van Ens mood swings for the future. He swoons for the arbitrary, rhetorical and unwritten pronouncements of Obama when he says, "President Obama's good judgment operates like a metronome. He senses new tempos of where American society is headed ... he feels rhythms."

Just where is the stability or due process in Obama's sensations emanating from the tempos and rhythms that only he is privy to? Should not the "people" determine for themselves what mood or cadence they should follow, if we are going to be fair about it in a society absent of law?

I find it incredible that a man of the cloth considers the sensations and moods of one privileged potentate superior to the extant and written law of the Bible or of the United States. This Rev. Van Ens and his following simply do not believe in the rule of law or the ancient covenants set forth in the Bible, for that is all in the past, out of sync and off-beat with his metronome. Rather, he and his ilk are hip and satisfied with Obama's rhythm, mood swings, whimsical pronouncements and dictatorial executive orders for the future. And that, dear folks, is the definition of tyranny.